Heavyweight Daniel James has missed weight for RIZIN Otoko Matsuri, which takes place Sunday in Tokyo and sees him competing in the promotion’s 2025 Heavyweight World Grand Prix – but “The American Predator,” a former Bellator MMA star, remains eligible to move on in the tournament.
James (15-7-1, 1NC), missed weight by 0.8kg (1.76 pounds) on Saturday for his opening round fight with Marek Samociuk. Under the Japanese promotion’s rules, that would normally bring a No Contest into play, as historically, if a fighter who misses weight wins their bout, the result is flipped to a No Contest (while a loss remains a loss).
However, that will not be the case for James, mainly because of the tournament format. Per a press release by RIZIN officials, the No Contest rule will not be applied on Sunday. James will, however, start the fight with a red card and point deduction, meaning he’ll have to work a little harder if the bout goes to the scorecards.
Of course, Daniel James has only won a fight by decision once in his entire career, so it’s a safe bet the American heavyweight isn’t expecting to hear from the judges on Sunday. He holds 11 KO/TKO finishes and three submissions among his 15 professional victories, and has lost on the scorecards four times.
Saturday’s mishap at the scales is the second straight occasion where James has missed weight. His last bout, a win over Marcelo Golm under the PFL banner, also saw him come in heavy.
RIZIN Otoko Matsuri takes place Sunday, May 4, 2025 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
